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New Life Fitness World Manager, Fired Marine From His Job For Being A Disabled Veteran

A news station out of South Carolina launched an investigative report after they heard a local disabled Veteran had been fired for being disabled. The Veteran, Jonathan Brown, has filed a lawsuit against the company. Lexington County court filings show the reason that New life Fitness World terminated Jonathan Brown on July 31 was “disabled veteran.” The reason was noted on Brown’s “Employment Status Change” form attached to the lawsuit. Now it is one thing to discriminate and try to cover it up, but this douche actually wrote it down on the discharge!

Here is an excerpt from the story, courtesy of WIS News:

Brown worked as a manager at the gym’s Charter Oak Road location in Lexington for nearly two years. Brown recently returned home after a deployment to support Operation Iraqi Freedom. The Marine left the service after an eye injury prevented him from continuing on in the military. His injuries are to both eyes and he’s receiving treatment from the Wm. Jennings Bryan Dorn VA hospital in Columbia on a near-weekly basis.

“The VA is just like the military. If you miss an appointment, you might not get another one to actually let them help you with your problem,” Brown told WIS. Military doctors don’t know what’s causing the blurriness and shaking in both eyes, according to Brown.

Brown was a gunner on a Bradley vehicle in Iraq, firing a 25MM weapon known to the military as a 25 “Mike Mike.” Brown isn’t sure whether firing the weapon had anything to do with his disabling eye condition.

On July 30, Brown said he got called into the office by his new regional manager to talk about his VA doctor’s appointments, “It was kind of a surprise. He came in and wanted to sit down with me after I turned in some medical work, saying I needed to go to the VA a few times. We sat in the office and he said he just had to let me go—for; it just wouldn’t work out,” Brown said.

Brown said his boss, Jonathan Moreno, told him the reason he had to fire him was because he was a disabled veteran and wouldn’t allow any discussion of his decision. “His mind was made up by the time he was even walking into the building,” Brown said.

Brown said he was willing to work nights and weekends in order to make up the lost time, but said Moreno wouldn’t entertain the arrangement. It was something Brown was already doing after working an arrangement out with his previous manager, “I stayed a lot later. Usually I’m supposed to be done by seven. I wouldn’t leave the gym until easily nine or 10 o’clock, just to make sure I had everything straightened up and ready to roll for the next day.”

“I have not seen a case that is so spelled out in black and white and is so clear a violation of the law, and obviously they need an education,” Brown’s attorney James Smith said. Smith, an Iraqi War veteran himself, filed the lawsuit for Brown in September. Smith said employers are required to make “reasonable accommodations” for employees with disabilities and argues that Brown’s willingness to make up lost time was fair to both sides. “Those are reasonable accommodations, which must be made by an employer and they just need to understand that. Apparently they don’t,” Smith said.

We went to Moreno, who works at Gold’s Gym in Lexington after leaving New Life Fitness World a few weeks after he fired Brown, for his side of the story. Moreno calls the claim that he fired Brown because he’s a “disabled veteran,” “horse [expletive].” Moreno’s signature is at the bottom of the form, approving Brown’s firing, which is marked, “disabled veteran.”

Moreno told WIS the reason he fired Brown was because of customer service complaints, the gym was not clean and that Brown was not meeting his sales goals. Moreno declined an on camera interview to explain his decision to fire Brown. Brown’s final pay check shows the gym paid him $150 in bonuses for meeting production, sales and membership goals. Moreno referred us to his former bosses for comment.”

Here is a snapshot of Jonathan’s final check, with the bonus:

Another excerpt from WIS:

When Brown went to work for New Life Fitness World, he worked under Jody Parks, who was the general manager before Moreno took over. Parks told WIS that he’d worked out a plan that would allow Brown time to make his VA appointments, but would require him to make up his missed time. “He was able to basically come back in and make up the time that he had missed. It was fair on that level,” Parks said.

Parks now manages a competing gym in Lexington. “He didn’t come in and say, ‘Hey I did this, can I make it up?’ It was something that was set up beforehand, so we kind of knew in advance,” Parks said. Parks said the gym was aware of his war injuries when they hired Brown in November 2010. Brown was an essential part of the mix at the Lexington location, according to Parks, because of the large retired military membership there. “He was a great guy. Good employee,” Parks said.

Brown is also having to place his home up for sale due to the loss of his job. To me this is an open and shut case, the new manager actually wrote the reason for firing him was because he was a “Disabled Veteran”. I guess he did not know that is discrimination and against the law. And on top of that the Veterans Lawyer is an Iraq war Vet also, so I am sure this band of brothers will burn them good!

Here is a picture of the manager Jonathan Moreno, that fired our Disabled Brother. He now works at Golds Gym in the same city.

Jonathan Moreno

Here is the Video from WIS News Investigation:

wistv.com – Columbia, South Carolina |
Here is the facebook page for the location that fired the Disabled Vet, let them know how you feel. Although the manager that fired him left a few weeks later. Seems he left the company in one hell of a bind! PLEASE BE CIVIL, NO THREATS, THE END GOAL IS TO GET THIS WOUNDED WARRIOR TAKEN CARE OF. New Life Fitness World Lexington, SC Location – PLEASE NOTE THIS IS THEIR OLD PAGE AND IS NO LONGER MONITORED.

I also believe Gold’s Gym needs to get rid of this guy before he does something stupid like this to them, and gets them wrapped up in a lawsuit. We tried to find Mr. Moreno, but of course he is nowhere to be found. If anyone luck’s up and finds his facebook etc, let us know by email.

New Life Fitness world of Lexington has responded to WIS News Investigative Report on their new facebook page. Here is their response:

Press Release/ Response to WIS-TV

New Life Fitness World is an enterprise whose owner proudly served alongside U.S. soldiers in South Vietnam. We have over 125 employees in Iowa and South Carolina, and we regularly and proudly employ and serve active duty military and verterans. Jonathan Brown was employed by New Life Fitness World. The reason for his termination is hotly contested, and management vigorously disputes the reason for termination given by Jonathan Brown in his lawsuit. Out of respect for employee confidentiality, and to avoid prejudicing the judicial process, management will have no further comment. – New Life Fitness World of SC Lexington

Due to the actions of the former Manager they made a new facebook page, and said it is under new management. You can view the above press release on the new page here New Life Fitness World Of Lexington

UPDATE 20121024:

Thanks to Jody Barr the investigative reporter who broke this story for sending me a copy of the court documents. For those of you that were questioning the snapshot of the document. Here are copies of the original paperwork filed in the courthouse, the termination paperwork is also attached. and clearly signed by the manager.

UPDATE:

The Executive Vice President/Owner of the Gold’s Gym Columbia would like to say something to everyone. This is the gym that Jonathan Moreno went to work for after he quit New Life Fitness World. We ask that you do not hold Gold’s Gym responsible as I sincerely believe they had no idea what was going on. And Mr. Burriss is the only one that has reached out to us. Thank you Mr. Buriss for taking the time to write to us and let us know you are aware and taking this seriously.

As Executive Vice President and Owner of the 5 Gold’s Gyms in Columbia, SC I certainly understand your concerns regarding the situation with our employee, Jonathan Moreno. Frankly, when we were first alerted to the issue, I was shocked. I and this company take veterans’ issues seriously. My grandfather, T. Moffatt Burriss, is a decorated World War II veteran who served in multiple European campaigns. He risked his life many times for our country and his heroism was depicted in the movie A Bridge Too Far. He continues to serve through lectures and is active in the Freedom Flight program.

I grew up respecting the sacrifices made by veterans. The main fountains in our Irmo and Forest Acres locations are dedicated to the veterans of our country with permanent bronze monuments.

We currently employee veterans in many positions, including management, sales and personal training. We have also partnered with the Army in their ACAP hiring program to hire veterans as well as the Employer Partnership Program to hire Guard and Reserve members from all branches.

We also have special membership programs for active duty personnel as well as special accommodations for those individuals.

So please rest assured that I am investigating the claims made against Mr. Moreno in an attempt to get all the facts to determine a course of action. In no case will any mistreatment of Military Personnel, active or retired, be tolerated at Gold’s Gym.

We just received the following statement from New Life Fitness World. Whatever the outcome, and whatever the truth we will post it here. We will stay neutral until all the facts are presented. I have spoken to a contact at NLFW, and they assure me they did not discriminate against this Marine. If this turns out to be true, then this Marine owes a lot of people an apology. But like I said we will reserve judgement until all the facts have been presented and are clear. That being said, here is the statement from New Life Fitness World.

“Ladies and gentlemen of facebook, veterans, disabled persons, and members:

The events surrounding the dismissal of a former employee and friend are being disputed in our legal system. We at New Life Fitness World vehemently deny the allegations of discrimination. The events surrounding the day in question are being vigorously investigated by our attorneys with the full cooperation of our local staff and corporate office. We are confident that when all the facts are presented and the truth can be seen for what it really is that we will be vindicated.

We have all seen the news report that broke the story. I can tell you that while naming this facility, the “investigative” work that went into the report did not at any time include contacting the gym for any comment. The efforts of this report have only resulted in the defamation of a company with over thirty-three years of discrimination free employment. A big part of our corporate culture is the effort we take to eliminate discrimination in any form.

Unfortunately this report has only served to fuel the fire of many individuals. The reporter at no point contacted the club to verify his “research”. His is a completely one sided story that many on this site and around the country have taken as the complete truth. The result has been a heightened sense of anger and rage at this company and those who work here. We have had employees who have nothing to do with the events in question who have received harassing phone calls and death threats, just for showing up to work.

The facts are this, there are at minimum two sides to every story. Only one has been reported. Due to the type of accusation and facts in question we must work through this with our attorneys as opposed to trying to solve this in the internet court of opinion. The documentation which seems so black and white has questions that must be answered at its very formation. The employee was offered a demotion to a sales position due to duties associated with his position not pertaining to sales numbers. As a general manager there are duties pertaining to facility management as well that were not met. There was an effort to retain the employee in a sales capacity with the promise to reinstate his management position if these other duties were improved on.

Again we would like to stress and point to our record of over thirty-three years as a discrimination free workplace. New Life Fitness World, its employees, and members all value and hold our veterans with the highest honors and regard. It is because of these men and women that we have the freedoms to not only conduct business but also to work through a legal process to prove our side of the issue as well. We thank you for your patience as we work through this issue to bring it to a full resolution.”

I have been a member of new life in lexington for over six years and I had no idea this was going on.I’m cancelling my membership that has expired.I pretty ticked at them for making me write them a letter to cancell my membership even though my contract has run out.Now I read this article and I’m really ticked at these douchebags.If you want to go to a good gym in lexington, go to Metrofit next to Etream customs, they are 24hrs and only charge 20 a month.Semper FI

Im all for people going to their FB page and complaining but can we try to be civil in the manner that we complain? Foul language and threats arent going to get us anywhere as a group and will only foster the idea that we are in fact a bunch of angry violent people.

And yes I understand that course language is a part of our society in the military but not all civilians understand that. And with the plethora of news stories that seem to always portray us as suffering from PTSD and being ticking time bombs, why feed that stigma?

The guy’s a douche, no doubt. But A) he no longer works there, and B) outing him or the establishment publicly is not constructive. Let the lawyer work his magic and hopefully Mr. Brown can get what he’s owed.

He probably left because he was told that if he didn’t he’d be fired. This is such a mind bogglingly clear EO violation, and violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act that I’m shocked that it happened.

What surprises me is that the head of the company doesn’t repudiate Moreno, and publicly apologize. By spinning this out and playing legal word games instead of trying to settle things, he’s shooting himself in the foot, and killing his business.

Frankly, discrimination against veterans is very rarely this clear cut and easy to litigate. I’m happy Moreno is a moron as well as a douche, because that means Mr. Brown will be able see justice done, and take these twits to the cleaners without going through 20 years of civil court hearings.

Was he on an LAV or a Bradley? I know the media always screws up facts, but I just want to be sure this is legit before I go raising hell. How does a 25mm make your eyes blur and wobble? I’m not trying to be an ass, but this doesn’t add up.

Lee, we are awaiting contact back from the Vet. But from what we have been told he was in fact injured in Iraq. And yea the media screws up sometimes, but the basics of the story are what matter. And according to the lawsuit filed, these are the facts about the termination.

He was NOT wounded in Iraq. He was wounded in the US. And by wounded I mean he hurt his eye. He still sees 20/20. No big deal. That termination slip was written by Jon Brown himself and the dumbass manager that signed didn’t read it when Jon gave it to him. These are the facts…. O and Jon has a job at the Citadel in SC, and he has been in the process of selling his house for a while now. This has gone too far and is offensive to veterans that are actually dealing with issues. Do what you can to fix this. This information will be reaffirmed by Jon Brown himself. Jon is a good guy, but his lawyers are out of control.

I have contacted Mr. Brown, so why if it was not true would he go on camera and say it was? This is a fresh story from the News and when asked they stand behind their story. He even said in the story he was wounded overseas.

Look…. I honestly don’t give a shit if you believe me or not. I AM 100% correct. He absolutely was not wounded in Iraq. There’s so much more I could say and so much documentation proving so, but I would probably lose my job. All I want is for this to be set right. If he said he was wounded in Iraq that is a complete fabrication. The only reason I even care and I’m even telling you is because it is extremely offensive to veterans actually struggling with issues across the country… Just keep doing your research. Talk to the people that know. Not the mainstream news media who will trump up anything for ratings. This is about a dumbass manager (who was fired) who fired Jon for almost no reason other than the fact that he wanted to be over a certain store and Jon, being the smart guy he is, getting him to sign the termination slip he made himself.

I am a coworker and fellow disabled veteran, I spent four years in the Marine Corps. Infantry and two deployments overseas to Iraq, I am a friend of Jon Browns, but I can also tell you that this situation is not what it seems, Jon did write that termination slip himself and he knew this exact thing would happen, he does have a job at the Citadel as an armorer, and the real reason he is selling his house is to move to Charleston. I love the guy to death, but there have been death threats to some of the other people that work for this company who have had nothing to do with this situation.

Ok, I am confused. SO you say you are a friend of the Marine, but you also what your stating here, if it is true that he fabricated this? Not only that, but he filed a frivalous lawsuit which carries a fine and prison time? BY the way, your friend JOHN–You spelled it wrong. So im just wondering what is really going on here, is the company out to try and squash this by launching a “he is committing fraud” campaign? Or is it truly a fraudelent lawsuit?

I am also a former co-worker with both Jonathan Brown & Jonathan Marino .. and let me start by saying a lot of you read something and run with it. The information that was given by BravoFoxTrot is indeed 100% true! As well as the information given by SemperFI. Jonathan Brown was NEVER fired for being a “disabled vet.” He caught wind that he was being DEMOTED, because truth be told Jonathan Marino wanted Jonathan Brown’s position .. Jonathan Marino was the district manager at the time and said that there were several complaints from members about Brown’s management or lack there of. When he caught wind that he was being fired, the night before, Brown and his attorney wrote up that termination document and he took it to work with him the very next day. After having a meeting and discussing his demotion, Brown was not satisfied and that is when the piece of paper was brought out. Jonathan Marino was not smart enough to read anything that had been written on it and signed the piece of paper. Do a freaking handwriting test, it’s not Marino’s handwriting! I am in no way shape or form defending Marino, he was not smart enough to read what he signed therefor that is his problem. HOWEVER, as a daughter to an active duty soldier and a person friend to those who have served or are currently serving, I find the lies in the media disgusting. I would like to think that Jonathan Brown and I were great friends at one point .. but when you LIE and are now causing person and attacking death threats and wishes to a company and it’s employees, whom which had NOTHING to do with any of this, I will set the record straight.

He is not “jobless” .. he did not even want to work for New Life anymore and was actively looking for another job. Soon after his termination he began working for The Citadel and moved to Charleston. He is constantly back and forth between Charleston and Columbia .. hence the reason why his house REALLY went up for sell .. not to mention he had been talking about putting his house up for sale 4 months prior to all of this.

Before the media takes something and runs with it, they need to do a little more investigating. Again, Marino should have read the paper before he signed it, that is on him .. but to have an entire group of people think that Jonathan Brown is jobless and homeless is absolute crap! He knew this termination was coming and wrote up his OWN termination document. The amount of people calling us unamerican and wishing harm upon us should contact Mr. Brown and ask him why he felt the need to fabricate such lies!

If this is true, then Mr. Brown has broken the law. If what you say is even partially true, then everything he said on camera and to the media is a lie. Not only that, but he has broken the law by filing a false complaint through the courts. Can you email me please at the contact button, I would like to speak to you more in depth about this situation. As if this is true, Mr. Brown has done a great injustice to every vet and Soldier out their.

Nevermind, just looked. And you, SemperFI, and BravoFoxTrot are all ond the same person. I mean your IP address’s are IDENTICAL! So please if you have something to say, be yourself, do not hide behind different names. Especially when any website you go to can see where you come from exactly.

This is what I am confused about… talking to armybrat31.. So you are saying Jonathan Brown was fired because Jonathan Marino wanted his position? In your little ramble of confusion you stated that Marino was the district manager and that Brown was just a manager. Why would Marino want to take a lower position? I believe your story is complete BS. Bulldog1, do you see a problem with that?

Jonathan Brown was the manager of the Lexington New Life. Jonathan Marino worked at another location as a manager AND the district manager. You can have both positions with that company. Jonathan Marino wanted to move to the Lexington location because it was more sales money in his pocket .. dirty move .. he was going around telling people he wanted the manager position at Lexington. THAT is why he went to Jonathan Brown with all the complaints and demoted him .. again, dirty move. Jonathan Marino then made himself the GM over Lexington and was still the regional manager of all the gyms in SC .. until he “quit” and went to work at Gold’s Gym .. which did happen before all of this came out in the news. I am not defending anyone I am just giving the facts because I am sick of people attacking other employees of New Life as if WE ourselves are the ones who did this!

With that I can agree, but also you have to understand the way it looks from the outside. When John was fired, he was not only fired by Marino, but also NLFW. As he was acting as an agent of that company, therefore the company is at fault as Marino is. But I agree the current employees had nothing to do with it.

By the way, myself, SemperFi, and BravoFoxTrot are all THREE separate people with THREE different post .. is it a crime that we all used the same computer at a different time? Nobody is hiding a damn thing other than Jonathan Brown! What reason do we have to lie!?

That I do not know, But what I do know is that 1. you are all three the same person, or 2. You are all posting from the same computer. I have the proof, so do not call me a liar. As I WILL post it if I have to to prove who the liar is.

Do please tell how you THINK we are all the same person. Two guys and one girl commented. I am so sorry you have all jumped on the bandwagon of believing all these lies. I am not standing up for the company or for Jon Marino AT ALL! He should not have signed the paper and corporate should have done something immediately! But do not sit here and attack us and say that we are all the same person because I can assure you .. it wasn’t. Thank you though.

I dont THINK…again….I am getting a new IP from you and armybrat and again it is THE SAME one. If you want it email me and I will show you. I do not want to post it here because people can do things with someones IP. Now it starts with 67.141 and all the rest of the numbers are the same. ANd the program shows me where it is from.

Well on the up side it would appear you now know the IP address of the computer at New Life Fitness… Maybe all these stellar former co-workers should get off the computer and go help some people in the Gym.

Continuous noise and vibration causes nerve damages to the eyes and ears..because the ears block or try to block high sounds that are painful to the human ear..stand next to something loud for a few minutes see how you ears react..you shrug up your shoulders and squint your eyes a bit.. I did it I stood by by sons annoying high pitched remote control police car and continued to hit the button for 3 minutes..The sound made me react..and yes part of the reaction was my eyes started blinking even felt a bit watery

Lee, as a former Bradley gunner I can attest that the ISU can cause some eye problems. Whether they can be permanent is up to debate and research, but I know that after long hours on numerous missions my eyes would be messed up for a couple days (color vision impairments, headaches, eyes that “wobble”, etc.)

Is anything being done to assist this Marine in keeping his house? can the VA assist him in that matter? I know it can be a lot of red tape to cut through but if it means keeping his house its worth it. If the VA cant help maybe once we get a few more fact SV can pass the hat like they did for the WW2 vet. every little bit helps…

Get DoL, and the Representatives & Senators of SC involved in this one. Seriously, a disabled veteran fired for being disabled? It’s also a violation of ADA. Apparently the word hasn’t gotten that much press in SC, which is proud of it’s military heritage & how it takes care of its veterans (or at least that’s how I remember it when I went to Clemson U).. Let’s see what we can do about that. SC is my 2nd home.

You would be outraged to know many Fortune Five Hundred companies have clauses that do not hire or fire on respect the military service or disability or to race , Gender, sexual orientation of any person [[or words to that effect] and that no work or notice shall prevent discharge for any reason.

According to the article the manager is already working somewhere else. Plus the original manager didn’t have a problem when they hired him. I don’t think it’s the gym, I believe it is this one individual.

I don’t understand… why is a marine supposedly in a Bradley? Marines DO use the Bushmaster M242 25mm automatic chaingun, but it is in the LAV. NOT a Bradley. Either someone is lying about his history or someone is mistaken.

I used to be a bradley Driver and Gunner in the 1/8 cav in the 1st Cavalry Division and I have never had eye problems because of it and None of my comrades or superiors have ever had eye problems from it. Something sounds weird about this article…

Of course something sounds wierd about the article, but you are expecting it to look like an after action report. Here’s how it is.

1. Civilians don’t know the difference in armoured vehicles. Everything is a “Bradley” to them… or an “Abrams.” It’s amazing that they even got the 25 mike mike correct. We Marines know that goes on an LAV, so leave it at that.

2. Read the artcle carefully. It clearly said 2 things… “Military doctors don’t know what’s causing the blurriness and shaking in both eyes”… and… “Brown isn’t sure whether firing the weapon had anything to do with his diabling eye condition…”

As is so often the case, the VA does not always know the cause… but the service member goes to Iraq with no injury and returns with an injury… and the VA has to treat.

3. Seriously, how often have you read an article about Marines and the writer referred to them as “Soldiers.” While the AP Stylebook very clearly instructs writers and editors to refer to Marines as “Marines” or “Troups since Soldier is a term given only to Army personell… very view media outlets pay attention to this.

So, I’m very impressed with the article in that they at least did not call the vet a Soldier and they got the 25mm correct.

I’m not taking a position on the matter, but food for thought. In 2006-2007 OIF they were forcing Bradleys on units under the philosophy that they needed the extra armor/capability. I was an infantry scout in the 82nd Airborne and we got the vehicles in our PPE draw. And as you know there isn’t a spec of armor over a humvee on Ft. Bragg. It’s plausible, and I only bring it up out of relevance not to bash. Thanks for your insightful comment bro.

He might have been in the process of sellig the house himself, but until it sells, there is still a mortgage that needs to be paid. Lose your job for any reason you aren’t paying the mortgage and you are losing the place. Lose it over some bullshit like this just makes it that much more painful.

This reminds me of the “Starbucks doesnt support the troops” rumor that was going around. It sounds like a small something that everyone is making big. BTW, I took a humongous poo-poo earlier today, and I might have lost a pound in doing so.

New Life Fitness World is an enterprise whose owner proudly served alongside U.S. soldiers in South Vietnam.

What the hell does that mean ? is he a Veteran or Not ? Is he even American ? This does not say he was a US Soldier… it says he served alongside them. Doing What ? i’m a Vietnam Vet, and the owner would have to be in his 60’s now, just like me.

I don’t know why this bothers me but it does….

And the paperwork crosses the ‘T’ for me. If Jonathan Brown is lying, like BravoFoxtrot infers, he’s going to be in a world a hurt after offically bring up these charges. So I can’t see how he could be lying about any of it. I’m sure the gym’s Spin doctors are hard at work now.

Yes I am his friend and I know how to spell his name because thats how he spells it, he has a perfect case I’m not saying that its fraudulent he wrote it and marino signed it I’m saying that was not the reason he got fired Marino wanted his job and would sign anything to get him out of there so don’t get mad at me and I’m not a fraud I was an 0351 with bravo co. 1/8 I think he has all the right in the world to file his lawsuit but his co workers shouldn’t be punished for something some Dbag who left the company a couple weeks later did and don’t jump on me for telling the truth when Im gettin calls from people telling me that I should be ashamed of myself when I’m a damn disabled vet too.

Guess what, the disabled vet part is NOT in Marino’s handwriting. The discharge part is. Marino signed that paper and Brown filled in whatever he wanted after. Where Marino screwed up like an idiot is not making a copy of that, and letting him walk with it. The handwriting is clearly Brown’s. Marino DID NOT terminate him for that, nor sign something that would put him at that risk. And what the hell is so special about that gym that he would want that job?? you want my opinion, all the new Lifes are outdated and suck why would anyone be better than another.

well i think that company better have some good insurance during the time of the firing, as that will be the time they go after. i wish the insurance company would drop them as a client so the owners would get stuck paying for it. its a given you don’t mess with veterans when they come back from war always has been, always will be.

I noticed in the statement made through the owner’s attorney it states: “New Life Fitness World is an enterprise whose owner proudly served alongside U.S. soldiers in South Vietnam.” Interesting first sentence of basically a “we aren’t talking, contact my attorney” press release. The owner might try to settle before it goes to trial.
My hope is that this owner will immediately put into place training for all managers regarding the ADA, discrimination, and reasonable accommodations. The former manager was providing reasonable accommodation, and the new manager did not. The new manager’s claim that he fired the Veteran for cause doesn’t add up, especially since his original manager gave him glowing reviews. Sucks to have to fight for what is right. The ADA was signed into law in 1990, so why 22 years later do we have this type of situation come up? I shake my head in wonder…

In response to a few comments left by concerned readers, just because a veteran is classified as “disabled,” does NOT mean they were wounded in combat. An ankle injury from a PT run in the US could result in a soldier, marine, etc becoming disabled….

Now, my question is, if this Soldier really developed blurred/wobbly vision while in theatre, then why was he not medically evacuated….if he couldn’t see correctly, he would pose a serious threat to his fellow troops and to the missions….im not a doctor but i’m pretty sure this would not be a condition that would insidiously pop up later on….being a wounded infantry iraq vet and SAW gunner myself, i’m finding his claims hard to believe….to me this sounds like a classic case of someone trying to milk the VA system for disability benefits….

Would it be possible. for multiple people to logon the same computer at a public place (say the gym in question) in an effort to voice their opinions? plus i serious doubt he ” just signed something without looking at it” you’d think any manager that was given the power to.hire and fire people would know to properly review termination documents in an effort to avoid any claims for wrongful termination. that being said i hope he ends up owning the gym……..what a chicken#%&* thing to do

You are a fucking moron. Nobody used the same name. Three different people used TWO separate computers at the gym on TWO different days. For the love of God .. continue to believe what you want but when John Brown’s lies come out .. I have a feeling a lot of vets will be furious with HIM.

Oh so you are saying you guys are getting on from the Gym, like I said….same IP address so the admin panel sees it as the same person/location. SO watch yourself from calling people fucking morons as it seems that may be you. And remember their is an active lawsuit going on against said gym, rather true or not.

IP address: A unique string of numbers separated by periods that identifies each computer attached to the Internet. Every device that accesses online content has one, and none of them are the same. Just sharing the actual definition, in case you want to keep arguing the whole same computer line. It’s pretty easy to read admin logs, to be honest.

Yes it is, and as your definition says…it identifies each computer attached to the internet……and none are the same….so if they are the same IP address attached to three different names posting, what does that tell you?

and u really think hes gonna win this lawsuit once people testify thats not marinos handwriting and witnesses around the termination back marinos story up..bulldog ur a nobody with no pull to anyone important…keep pretending u know big boys

First off who said anything about knowing big boys. When did I say anything close to that?? LMAO…and guess what your more of a nobody than anyone in here. Nobody really gives a shit about what you have to say, because you are a nobody. Come here to troll, says a lot about you and who or what you are. So get on back to your gym, and do some more work, your patrons are wating.

Actually the IP does not identify a computer but rather a location. There could be multiple computers at that location but if they were on a local network and behind the same router then their addresses would appear the same to the public. A MAC address would be unique to each computer. Not that any of this matters, these people were either on the same machine or at least on the same private network.

Bulldog, I believe you are being trolled by a poser. Posers troll across the web and various chat rooms like facebook and twitter causing strife. They hate and attack patriots, Vets, TEA Party members, conservatives, Christians or whoever doesn’t agree with their morally debased of mind views. They usually resort to using all manner of fool and vulgar language when you disagree or refuse to believe their lies. They also pose as patriots, Vets, TEA Party members, conservatives, and Christians using made fake names or false web identities. Their goal is to have you stoop down to their level using vulgar language or make threats towards them so they can report you. I have exposed these posers before. Many of my posts are political in nature and I have even traced back some of these trolls as working for this current evil regime. After defeating them with truth and exposing all their false information. They give up and disappear. Good hunting.

Well from what I can see, the BS here is coming from the gym owners. Looks to me like desperate attempts to spin their way out of losing the gym. Whatever BS they are trying to trowel out is effectively shot down by the former manager who hired John, and characterized him as a good employee. Sounds to me like the gym will soon be under new ownership.

Hate to say it… BUT… all the people in the world can testify as to what they “think” or “know” happened… BUT…. BUT…. there is DOCUMENTATION that says they’re wrong… and a half way decent lawyer is gonna say that those who testify? Heresay… because unless they can PROVE they were there… it’s between Brown and the Manager(who represented New Life) when said Docs were signed…

I would just ignore that moron. He’s obviously just trolling and can’t even keep his stories straight. Since he has been proven wrong and all the same person he’s resorting to name calling. A sign of a truly ignorant and immature person .

Regarding IPs — what you receive is the *server’s* IP address, not the individual computer IPs themselves. Their company’s computer traffic all goes to the same server at whatever service provider they use.

So while they may or may not be logging on and writing from the same computer, it *is* generating from the same location. It could be three separate computers from the same location.

Just wanted to point that out real quick. I’m completely in GOA’s corner on this one.

The IP address that the GOA server logs is an IP address on the router the ISP gives its customer (the Fitness joint). All of the computers on the “customer” side of this router/firewall have a private IP address (usually something like 192.168.X.X), but the cable/dsl/fiber connection that goes to the internet has a public IP address (for example, 184.172.183.35 for the GOA webserver.). In order to allow multiple “private” addresses to use a single “public” address, there’s a service called NAT (Network Address Translation) that’s used.

That being said, it’s entirely possible that there are multiple computers using the same “public” IP address. However, there is a method to determine if each user is unique that I’ll gladly share if someone at GOA wants to know. I won’t post it here…that would defeat the purpose.

I agree with you all on one fact. dave you are an idiot. I see this from both sides. Clearly the document says one thing and that backs alot up. However the fact that there are lots and lots of employees and former employees willing to testify to the fact that that is not why he is terminated is going to take this to a gray area. Yes the document is obvious…whetehr Brown did or did not fill that part in after. If this Moreno idiot was dumb enough to sign it then it is on him. But it is not going to make Brown look good when a bunch of people testify to the fact that he is lying.

Dave, you’re sorely mistaken if you believe the admin of this site has no connections or pull. He is part of one of the largest, most powerful, loyal, and unrelenting brotherhoods in the world. You, on the otherhand, just sound like an egotistical chump that would cower in fear in the presence of the men of this brotherhood. Find another block to play on

Here again… a halfway decent lawyer will also go to show that these people testifying are still paid employees from the company whom Brown is suing… so… that can also make them biased… and also scared of losing their job if they go against said company… but Brown has PROOF… hard proof in documentation… it doesn’t matter who filled what out… it was SIGNED… so while Brown may have people trying to make him look bad… it will also be shown that those people trying to make him look bad are still current employees being paid by a company that fired him for being a disabled Vet…

Regardless of who filled out the paper, the signature says that the individual who signed agreed with the terms of the termination. So the retard who signed it obviously had some serious issues with situational awareness. Also, the same device will have the same IP even if it’s connected to a router or other device. It would be issued a unique IP which can be viewed on logs. If it had been a different device it would have a different number in the last octive of the address. Same computer, same IP. This will continue until the lease expires, the device is shut down, or the release/renew command is issued (disable/enable option on the network setting for windows vista/7). If you’re at work trolling a site you should hold your thoughts until you get to a personal computer instead of using buisness machines to be asshats. Just a suggestion.

Bulldog i cant believe that maggot can even talk to u like that….It infuriates me so much to see these ignorant pussies talk so loosely like that when they dont even have the balls to join the greatest military on this planet. Sir u have the respect of all brothers and sisters at arms…and we will back u up 100%. This shit bag has NOBODY but that piece of crap gym crew…go lift your 5 pounders shitbag…oh try doing something meaningful in your life for once.

What’s funny to me is that they want to set the story straight, they are friends with Moreno but cannot spell his name right. What is wrong with the people over at that gym. It DOES NOT matter what current employees say in court. I Jon, can back up his statements of PROOF judge’s love a paper trail. If in fact Moreno were receiving complaints, why do his paystubs say otherwise. I all of you trolls lurking in the shadows have stated “Moreno wanted his job” where this is a public forum it can be used in the case if they so choose to. Remember they might not know your names but the gyms ip address has been recorded. So you in fact, I are possibly doing more damage to your gym than anticipated. Carry on, and remember you are not a smart as you wish you were.

This is my real name. Feel free to look me up. I also comment on the Facebook page from time to time. Either way my opinion still stands. I usually try to keep them short, sweet, and mildly insulting. I’m not going to get into technical IT shenanigans with NAT/PAT and all that jazz. I’m just going to say that pretty much everyone I’ve seen posting from that gym are completely fucktarded with a side of douchebaggery. Enjoy minimum wage.

Bulldog, everyone I think you are misunderstanding what I ams aying. Yes that paper proof hardcopy is going to go the furthest in this, but the fact that down here in Columbia gaping holes in Brown’s story are starting to come out. For example, he is not selling his house because he is unemployed and broke, he is selling his house because he has had a job at The Citadel for the past 2 months and was relocating. There is proof he is employed. Also, out of all the witnesses he chose to have interviewed, why did he mysteriously leave out the person who was in the room with the two of them when it went down? Also, the manager first offered to demote him, then Brown refused. Again you guys are right the paper speaks for itself…to a degree. But when the holes in Browns news story come out, it will not make him seem as credible…It is people other than New Life employees who have staarted coming out with proof that his story isn’t adding up.Thats all

I can not divulge that due to privacy, but if you dig i am sure you can find. Hate to say this but what is probably going to end up happening is Moreno or however you spell his name is going to be exposed for being a DUMBASS and not taking control of a termination paper, rather than a true intention to fire a disabled vet. I am jot taking sides, for I have a brother who is currently serving. If it turns out Moreno did fire him for that, he WILL burn in hell..But from ne winformation gathered it looks like Moreno is just gonna be guilty of being a non common sense dumbass, and not what is being said..

One last thing. I am not on Moreno’s side by any means, as i have a brother serving. I am just trying to state what is real. People have to be careful for how they slander Moreno in the meantime. I agree if he was a dumbass who did not take control of the termination paper then call him that all day. But if it comes out in the end through proof or holes in Browns story that show Moreno is not guilty of firing a disabled vet, but just guilty of being a dumbass..then the dumbass can have a potential slander suit. Again looking out for everyones best interests.

How about you and your “friends” stop bad mouthing 1 Marine until after the facts come out in the wash? You will never win against the brothers and sisters we all stand firmly behind each other until someones intentions prove dishonorable. Since I can’t give you “wall to wall counseling ” on shutting the fuck up I’ll leave it to the lawyers. Happy typing

While verbally that’s all fine and good… I don’t know the state laws out there, but legally it’s going to come down to burden of PROOF… LEGALLY… it’s going to come down to that paper trail… I keep repeating myself… a halfway decent lawyer can show that this “third person” at the time or possibly even now is a biased employee and no matter what they’re saying… it’s hearsay…

I should also say… the reason I stated I don’t know the State laws… here in TX this would be in a Federal Court… and our laws for a person recording a meeting such as this may be different, so unless it was recorded(and done legally) it’s going to fall back on burden of Proof… and as Bulldog said… a picture or Doc is worth a 1,000 words…

Whats going to look bad is when Brown’s interview is proven false.. which is being slowly proven here in Columbia as time goes on.That will diminish his credibility. He should have just filed the suit and not gotten the media involved

As Executive Vice President and Owner of the 5 Gold’s Gyms in Columbia, SC I certainly understand your concerns regarding the situation with our employee, Jonathan Moreno. Frankly, when we were first alerted to the issue, I was shocked. I and this company take veterans’ issues seriously. My grandfather, T. Moffatt Burriss, is a decorated World War II veteran who served in multiple European campaigns. He risked his life many times for our country and his heroism was depicted in the movie A Bridge Too Far. He continues to serve through lectures and is active in the Freedom Flight program.

I grew up respecting the sacrifices made by veterans. The main fountains in our Irmo and Forest Acres locations are dedicated to the veterans of our country with permanent bronze monuments.

We currently employee veterans in many positions, including management, sales and personal training. We have also partnered with the Army in their ACAP hiring program to hire veterans as well as the Employer Partnership Program to hire Guard and Reserve members from all branches.

We also have special membership programs for active duty personnel as well as special accommodations for those individuals.

So please rest assured that I am investigating the claims made against Mr. Moreno in an attempt to get all the facts to determine a course of action. In no case will any mistreatment of Military Personnel, active or retired, be tolerated at Gold’s Gym.

I’m very happy to hear that Mr. Burriss’ company supports veterans in such a wonderful way. I can see that organization will most likely not retain any employee who is so blatently against veterans as is Mr. Jon Moreno. Pack your bags, Moreno 🙂

Moreno is a douchebag. the douchebaggery begins in the first part of the story. the ‘three’ poser(s) come on here to defend Moreno because he wanted to up his ‘performance’ records by taking over another disctrict/gym that was being managed well by the current manager. So he ‘puts it out there’ that he wants to manage the Lexington branch? and fires the current manager, ‘because he’s a disabled vet’. Moreno will get whats coming to him. Brown needs to make sure Moreno is included in the lawsuit. Any gym/fitness center that values its reputation shouldnt hire Moreno if he offered to work for free! And for that matter, he has no ethics. i wouldnt want him working for me or with me.

The kimchee is getting deep here. There are three ways this could go. number 1. The manager is just a complete ass hat and decided he didn’t want to have to work around the service member’s needs. 2. The Manager had a legitimate reason to terminate the service member, but he didn’t build up a paper trail and was ignorant enough to sign a document that could be used against the company 3, The service member was a conniving douche who had accepted employment elsewhere, was already selling his house and filled out his own paperwork, fully knowing that it would be a superb document in Court. There is also the possibility that the service member lied about where his injury occured and is totally playing the media to his advantage. If that is the case his ass should be ran up the flagpole like other phonies on this site.

There’s 1 of these gyms in my town not far from where I live it just opened I am thinking of printing this article off and dropping it at the local VFW in town and see what them grizzly old bears think about it being in our town.

Just an old dog…its going to be choices 2 and 3.. Moreno is guilty of being a dumbass. But theres so many holes in the story. look at the paper in full. Jonathan brown signed and dated it july 30th. the reason is in his handwriting. moreno(or however you spell his name) signed and dated it july 31st. Clearly what we see here is Brown was smart enough to write his OWN termination paper, and Moreno was ignorant enough to just skim over it, or let his emotions get the best of him during a bad termination conference, and just sign it during an argument. or brown could have still slighly put it in there after the fact. who knows. it is not morenos handwriting. there are many holes in Brown’s story. Many. I think we have a scumbag on the lurk who used the military to hide behind the fact that Moreno(who is still careless), had legit reason to demote him, not originally fire him. Brown was employed and still is employed at The Citdel. That is why he is selling his house. this makes me mad because I have a brother serving. Lets hook these guys up to a polygraph, I have a feeling alot will come out then, and you will see brown is not the victimized”war hero”

Time will tell. People on this site are pretty quick to side with and assist our brothers and sisters who are in need. Since the site usually outs fakes they are wary of BS posts. If you read through some of the threads on the frauds you will see numerous instances of multiple posts by the fraud claiming to be someone else supporting the frauds story. The result is that regulars on here tend to be skeptical of posts that seem to support a “villain”.,, in this case Mr Moreno and the gym… and by association people that work for the gym.
After the initial knee-jerk reaction of thinking that Mr Moreno is a dirt bag and the company needs to get its pants sued off I sat back and thought about it. The following things made me think.

1. No company or Manager is stupid enough to put down that they fired someone for being disabled, much less “disabled veteran”.
2. The fact that the guy went public so quick raises red flags.
3. The people posting from the gyms IP address write differently, and seem to just want the truth to come out about what happened.
4 If this guy already had a job and was selling his house when he was terminated his saying he was unemployed and losing his house his credibility is out the window.

where I feel bad for moreno is he made bad judgement by not reading the document, or letting his emotions get the best of him, or being carless and letting brown fill in whatever. and like i said, i am not on his side, but i want the truth out. i am glad people are smart and stopped slandering moreno till the truth comes out, because if he indeed is just a dumbass, he can have a slander countersuit. again bulldog by no means am i taking morenos side, but browns story is just not adding up in so many places. it is a shame to think a fellow soldier would fabricate this. it is disheartening. however holes in a story speak for itself. i too will be watching this closely.

Ladies and gentlemen of facebook, veterans, disabled persons, and members: The events surrounding the dismissal of a former employee and friend are being disputed in our legal system. We at New Life Fitness World vehemently deny the allegations of discrimination. The events surrounding the day in question are being vigorously investigated by our attorneys with the full cooperation of our local sta
ff and corporate office. We are confident that when all the facts are presented and the truth can be seen for what it really is that we will be vindicated.

We have all seen the news report that broke the story. I can tell you that while naming this facility, the “investigative” work that went into the report did not at any time include contacting the gym for any comment. The efforts of this report have only resulted in the defamation of a company with over thirty-three years of discrimination free employment. A big part of our corporate culture is the effort we take to eliminate discrimination in any form.

Unfortunately this report has only served to fuel the fire of many individuals. The reporter at no point contacted the club to verify his “research”. His is a completely one sided story that many on this site and around the country have taken as the complete truth. The result has been a heightened sense of anger and rage at this company and those who work here. We have had employees who have nothing to do with the events in question who have received harassing phone calls and death threats, just for showing up to work.

The facts are this, there are at minimum two sides to every story. Only one has been reported. Due to the type of accusation and facts in question we must work through this with our attorneys as opposed to trying to solve this in the internet court of opinion. The documentation which seems so black and white has questions that must be answered at its very formation. The employee was offered a demotion to a sales position due to duties associated with his position not pertaining to sales numbers. As a general manager there are duties pertaining to facility management as well that were not met. There was an effort to retain the employee in a sales capacity with the promise to reinstate his management position if these other duties were improved on.

Again we would like to stress and point to our record of over thirty-three years as a discrimination free workplace. New Life Fitness World, its employees, and members all value and hold our veterans with the highest honors and regard. It is because of these men and women that we have the freedoms to not only conduct business but also to work through a legal process to prove our side of the issue as well. We thank you for your patience as we work through this issue to bring it to a full resolution.

Sadly this is nothing new, but most managers or small business owners are a lot more intelligent than this Moreno guy. I’ve lost multiple jobs to my disabilities that I incurred CONUS while serving as a Combat Medic in the US Army. Sooner or later you just give up, I’ve been unemployed for four years now working on a degree.

If I had a shred of proof that I was fired for my disabilities I would be doing everything in my power as Mr. Brown is to get my dues.

Good on him for getting his, but I find it odd that people are shocked to find that people are fired over disabilities – I’d venture to say it happens on a daily basis across the United States.

Again Moreno is worlds biggeest idot, not scumbag. sorry to say but moreno and new lifes rebuttal adds up more for me at this point than brown and the holes in his story. he is indeed employed by the citadel and his house has been on the market for over 2 months now because of a charleston relocation. there is an email with proof that moreno sent to his corporate office showing that he intended on demoting, not firing brown…more holes are coming out too..brown is sly i will give him that.. just a crappy situation all around.

Why aren’t any follow ups on this information posted here? Where is your information from?

I’m neutral on the whole thing.

Plenty of knuckle draggers and crooks make it into the military, as anyone who has been in is well aware of.

By the same token, Disabled Veteran’s are fired all the time due to their disabilities interfering with their work.

All in all it wouldn’t be the first time some one has abused Veteran status for personal gain, and it wouldn’t be the first time some one was fired for being disabled. All of this is being blown out of proportion and diverted from the real issues in the system.

I’ll reserve judgement for when I see the facts in writing. I couldn’t find anything pointing towards what you’re claiming except for the three people who posted from the same IP address in these comments.

I waited until the company weighed in before making any statement as there usually are two sides to a story, and having seen several not turn out to be what they at first appeared to be, I wanted to give the company the benefit of the doubt.

Having read their rebuttal, several things come to mind. First, “We have had employees who have nothing to do with the events in question who have received harassing phone calls and death threats, just for showing up to work.”

Please, provide a specific instance/instances where an employee has received a credible death threat related to this case.

Second, and more questionable, “The documentation which seems so black and white has questions that must be answered at its very formation.”

It either is, or is not, as it has been presented – PERIOD! Why are there questions (plural, as in more than one)? If it is as it has been presented, then the company is at fault. If it is not, then the employee is responsible for any changes made to it.

What bothers me about the need to answer the above questions, is why is there not a copy of the document in the employee’s folder at the facility / corporate level?

In any major corporation one of the functions of the human resources / legal department is to protect against just such events – part of which is documenting every termination to insure the party does not come back to sue for damages due to wrongful termination.

I think the chances of death threats being made is highly possible. Will anyone act on them? No. But I don’t question them having been made. Secondly, they don’t need to show you proof of specific instances, nor would it change anything.

What you think doesnt matter – what is provable does. I think your comments are asinine, but again, what I think doesnt matter, its what is provable – he claims that death threats were made, yet there have been no police reports filed – And, I noticed that you failed to address the second concern, which I stated from from the start was the more troubling of the two…

There very well may be a copy at corporate. Since this is all pending in legal you won’t see anything out in the open.

This is why I said I’m reserving my judgement for after a judgement has been made and everything is out in the open.

There are some problems with the paperwork if you look at each persons writing, most notably in how they write their 2’s. Does that mean anything? Probably, but I can’t say what.

I’m more interested in what this company has to gain by openly disputing this guys claims instead of trying to keep this all quieted up and offering up a settlement, if they are in fact at fault.

Being a Disabled Veteran myself when I first read about the story I was inclined to jump right to the aid of some one in need…but certain things just don’t add up on both sides of this story.

I just hope justice is served in the strictest manner possible to whoever is in the wrong here. Too much of this shit goes on with both sides (in regards to Veteran’s abusing their status, and companies firing people due to their disabilities) to just let it go with a slap on the wrist.

It is unfortunate that you would want specific instances of something as disgusting as the comments and threats that we have received. However to satisfy your need for proof on this side of the fence, a demand you don’t make on Brown, let me enlighten you. We have received calls answered by front desk workers letting them know that they were merely guests in this country. I have taken calls informing me I would do better on the other end of a gun and called various names. I am not the one that signed any form or wanted to see Brown leave the company at all. It is beyond my imagination that those who served our country would look so poorly and without reserve for judgement on the citizens they served to protect.

Wrongful termination? Brown filled out his own termination paperwork the day before. This was not from the lazy practices of a regional manager who was clearly in over his head. This was a calculated effort to get fired. Brown new what he was doing and acted as though he had won the lottery when that paper was signed.

It is kind of funny how these so called friends and co-workers of these two, who can not even spell the names right, makes me wonder how childish these people are to make up a story to prove what? BravoFoxtrot or BF in our terms means Buddy Fucker, which in this case probably is…and even if he did write his own termination slip, in which his signature is in the GM area becuase he is, it was still signed by Moreno. So if the three “friends” here say they have proof then why not prove it and let the media know and everyone else. HMMMMMM???!!!!

actually if it is proven brown’s interview(which brown was a dumbass for doing, because had this not gone to the media brown would be in the drivers seat)is full of shit and his credibility diminishes, the lawsuit will get dropped. those who think this is pure black and white are ignorant themselves..

Unless they can prove without a doubt that the paperwork did not have “Disabled Veteran” as a reason for Brown being fired when the other guy signed it – he’s going to get something out of this. This is a civil case, there isn’t a jury of peers to decide what’s going on at this point, and judges are a lot more calculating in their decisions – because ultimately how they rule will come back as how the laws are interpreted for other cases.

I just think there’s something underneath here, the company could have saved a lot of face by apologizing for the actions of a previous employee and giving Mr. Brown a settlement if they didn’t have something on him.

The difference between Brown and the defendant is that Brown’s lawyers seemed to get a little over-zealous and blow this up. Usually lawyers like to keep evidence close to the chest until the case has been completed.

I don’t know what’s going on beneath the surface – but I don’t think it’s nearly as cut and dry as the original report made it out to be.

From all the postings on your site, it would seem as if you are the axis of all parties involved. Several different things on either side do not line up, and are clearly covoluted. Whatever comes of this, I have full faith and confidence that you will succeed as the un-biased, neutral party you are, and have been known to be. It’s funny that both sides of the story are coming on YOUR site and slandering each other, and then in turn slandering you. Someone is obviously hiding the truth behind the whole thing. It’s a sad thing that something like this must be fought in a judicial system, where it’s case of Liar-Liar.

Either way, all the banter back and forth is extremely interesting, and just goes to further your points that you have an aim to expose the truth for what it is. Keep fighting the good fight for our brothers and sisters in arms.

To those of you out there who don’t agree with some of the postings on here, keep in mind that this IS public forum. However… Bulldog 1, as the admin of this site, retains the overall authority to control and adjudicate the posts. Do not slander the admin. The admin, along with the majority of us who are regulars here, are in fact comprised of a large network of Soldiers, former Soldiers, and families of Soldiers who are in pure aim to accomplish the mission of being exactly what the name of this web page is- a Guardian of Valor.

Whether or not your story is true it honestly doesn’t matter if the company did not retain a copy of the originally signed termanition paper. Failure to do so would allow any dishonest person to alter the document and then sue. Any company and business retains termanation papers for at least 2 years. That whole excuse just doesn’t add up to me or hardly anyone on here as you have probably read. If your story was so true then you would have proof. End of story. If your company is retaining that proof for the court date then more power to them as that would be the wise decision. However, making these claims without proof just makes you guys look more guilty.

Brown has either lied or made false comments on TV there is no doubt of that. However the lies he made don’t disprove any part of his story. His lies were all wrapped around an attempt to gain public sympathy in order to hurt your business. He has prooved that he is dishonest with these lies and has in fact lost much support from the veteran community from just reading the few posts above.

Finally I will leave you with a suggestion. Ignore the hateful threats. Those are coming from immature veterans that don’t realize that gets us no where. Keep in mind the majority of the military is under 21. Secondly, stop making false accusations such as entrapment without proof. That actually hurts your case.

Anyone here the latest on this story? it’s been pretty quiet recently. I know Moreno (or however you spell it) is still at Golds Gym. Not sure about any of the New Life people. I guess both sides decided to be smart and just wait to present eveidence and talk at the court date. Probably the best idea.

Unfortunately with some of the statements coming to light from the side of the employee’s at the gym where the Veteran was fired from – I’m somewhat inclined to believe there is some truth to what they have to say, it makes the story add up in a more fluid nature (in my opinion).

I’m guessing his lawyers told him it would be best if he just kept his mouth shut from here on out, rather than say something that might incriminate him further to cast doubt on whether or not he had malicious intentions prior to being fired.

I agree. It was shady for me the second I realized the disabled vet part was in the plaintiff (Brown), not Moreno’s handwriting. All it would take is a handwriting expert to verify that, then it will turn into a battle of he said she said, the paper in “black and white”, will have gray areas, which means the judge will probably dismiss it..as for Moreno, his chance at a countersuit for slander will be out the window too..but thats what you get for not reading over a document before you sign it.

Life Fitness is very well known for its commercial-quality fitness equipment that is built for home use. If you are serious about your home gym then Life fitness exercise equipment is the choice to make as these machines are among the best selling in the world among professional trainers and non-professional athletes alike.

At this point let it just work out in the court system. debating sides back and frth is just a waste of time at this point. its been a month and a half since story first aired, Im sure sometime down the road well get an update.

I was just terminated from the Defense Logistics Agency because of my war/service connected disability. And when I tried to appeal their decision at the MBPS, I was told I can NOT, since I was still on probation. It was good a stab in my back by the same department I served under, I got my disability while serving with the Corps and got fired because of that same disability from the same department!!! Semper Fi!!!!

If you have all the facts and can prove it beyond a reasonable doubt, you take it to court. Their adminstrative laws will stand because you most likely did sign a right to work contract. If you have all the facts, can prove it, and care that much about the job then get a good employemnt laywer. They’ll know all about the ADA, EOE and Rights to Work laws.

I just wanted to post and clarify a few things about Mr. Brown because I know him personally but haven’t talked to him since 2010. He was a good Marine he was meritoriously promoted to Corporal. He is not the brightest crayon in the box so I find it hard to believe that he pre meditated this. He always worked for a gym and he wanted to own his own gym or buy a franchise one day. He was in an LAR unit and was serving as an LAV-25 gunner in OIF 8.2/New Dawn. He was injured in country non combat related and he was even evac’d to the wrong base (they didn’t have the right eye doctor where they sent him) but all in all his was a good Marine and person and that’s why I find it hard to believe that he made all this up…

As a person who does not know Marino personally, but has alot of close friends(whos opinions I trust) that do I can attest to the fact that there is more to this than it seems. First off the part of the termination part that says disabled veteran is in Browns handwriting, not Marinos. Marino signed it carelessly and probably did not think of the consequences of being this careless would bring. He in his heart had no intention of firing someone just cause theyw ere a disabled veteran, I cant think of anyone that cold hearted. also, it has been proven that Mr. brown did have a job at the citadel during the time this all aired. there has not been anything in the news about this recently. i am wondering if it was dropped, dismissed, or what happened.

What i don’t realize is if truth be told how you are now
not actually much more neatly-liked than you may be now.
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